A magnificent, compelling and insightful voyage to the frontier of knowledge from a great writer with a deep understanding.

Yearning for a late holiday? Bosonia, the Isle of Leptons and farthest Antimatter beckon in this bracing voyage into particle physics, captained by experimental physicist Jon Butterworth. Ever an original writer, he maps the territory of the standard model and beyond, elucidating in turn wave–particle duality, the quantum field and the subatomic realm, all the way to ripples in space-time and the hunt for the Higgs boson (which, as a veteran of the Large Hadron Collider at Europe's physics lab CERN, he navigates expertly). Sea legs achieved, you're ready for wilder shores, such as the Dirac–Milne universe.

‘Extraordinary… Origins is one of those rare books that dissolves mystery through the steady application of sublime lucidity. While reading it, I kept thinking: “Oh, that makes sense…” … Dartnell understands geology, geography, anthropology, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and history. That’s quite an achievement, but what makes him special is the way he communicates the interconnectedness of these disciplines in a clear, logical and entertaining way…Superb.

Dartnell has an easy, light touch that mixes well with his considerable knowledge. The result is a first-class read – and an important one

Dartnell has found the perfect blend of science and history. This is a book that will not only challenge our preconceptions about the past, but should make us think very carefully about humanity’s future

Origins, snappily written, is a fast read … fascinating

Dartnell’s story is beautifully written and organized. His infectious curiosity and enthusiasm tug the reader from page to page, synthesizing geology, oceanography, meteorology, geography, palaeontology, archaeology and political history in a manner that recalls Jared Diamond’s classic 1997 book Guns, Germs, and Steel

Dartnell is an eloquent, conversational guide to these daunting aeons of time

What a treat to see history through the eyes of an astrobiologist! Our history was shaped profoundly by the laying down of iron beds two billion years ago, by the tectonic forces that ripped open the African rift valley, by the slow cooling of the earth that began 50 million years ago, and by the evolution of grasses! Lewis Dartnell’s absorbing new book shows, with many vivid examples, how deeply human history is embedded in the history of planet earth

An original and timely way of looking at human history through the materials and natural resources that our species has employed to such effect. It should be read by everyone who ponders how long exploitation can continue on a finite planet.

Endlessly enthralling, Lewis Dartnell explains why the history of humanity, and of human cultures, both take dictation from the deeper history of Earth herself - from broad generalities to surprisingly specific details. An entertaining and informative essay on contingency - and worthy successor to the writing of Stephen Jay Gould.

Origins’ strength lies in the way it manages to conjure a tight, linear narrative from what would otherwise be an overwhelming wealth of insights, a feat aided by Dartnell’s soothing, conversational writing style… a captivating and enriching read, with as much to recommend it to those with an interest in geophysics as to students of human history and civilization.

Origins is like a well-crafted jigsaw puzzle. Each piece fits together beautifully to build up a complete picture of the deep connections we have to the blue marble we call home… a thoroughly satisfying read for anyone interested in how our planet drove our history, and how everything is connected

Big history is back… Origins is a bravura survey that captures our global zeitgeist and emphasises the limits of short-term historical and political thinking

A thrilling slice of big history and as good as Harari

Enthusiastic and brimful of facts… Dartnell’s great achievement is that while he crams in a great deal, the reader doesn’t feel rushed. It moves from the dawn of agriculture, to ancient Mesopotamian merchants to the coal-fields of England without a bump

Instead of looking at what we have done to the Earth, he examines what it has done to us, interweaving the physical and social sciences in a clear, logical and joyously entertaining way… [a] wonderful book

An eye-opening examination

Anyone who doubts that we live in a world designed by and for men needs to read this book, with its implicit message that even what we’ve won so far can never be taken for granted.

Invisible Women shines a light on the gender gap in data and what every woman needs to know about it

Jaw-dropping… This book is a snapshot of the dangers of a world designed to fit a minority

Plain, detailed and almost overwhelming prose… There is no anger in Criado Perez's pages – she is too busy with evidence for that

Book that did most to change the way I thought? Caroline Criado Perez's Invisible Women... Perez has delivered a much needed correction: full of persuasive examples and analysis of areas from public policy, medicine, economics and elsewhere in which data have been gathered in such a way as to obscure or omit matters of most concern to women. I learned a lot

Invisible Women… is a book that changes the way you see the world

The book’s force doesn’t derive from the power of its rhetoric – instead it’s the steady, unrelenting accumulation of evidence, the sheer weight of her argument’

Caroline Criado Perez brilliantly exposes the appalling gender bias that underpins the collection of data and how it’s used. From medical treatments that fail to take female biology into account, to car safety features that are designed for the male body, women are the invisible 51%. This deeply researched and passionate book is the most important contribution to gender equality in years.

In Invisible Women…Caroline Criado Perez expounds the far-reaching consequences of the “default male” mode… She urges a realignment of priorities… [a] call to action

Ending the biases she [Perez] exposes wouldn’t just reduce inequality; it would, in some cases, save actual lives

Invisible Women is an essential handbook in the fight to build a more equal world. It’s based on enough data to satisfy even the fussiest scientist and will make you look at the world in a new light. However, the style is light enough that it doesn’t feel like hard work. Read it for yourself, then lend it to all your friends, of any gender

Perez’s analysis is wide-ranging and compelling… one of the most powerful takeaways from Perez’s book is the extent to which so much of this [gendered] bias is unconscious, such that we are all infected by it. Feminism is the process of unlearning this, but it’s an ongoing process, for all of us

An impeccably researched, determined and passionate demand for change

The depth and scope of this book will shock you… Invisible Women is an essential handbook in the fight to build a more equal world… Read it for yourself, then lend it to all your friends, of any gender

An extraordinary book

One of the most compelling books I’ve read in years

[An] astounding book

A strong case for change

Invisible Women makes excellent points about how biased data are hidden and have pervasive negative impacts on the lives of women and girls

Criado Perez’s devastating indictment is a worthy bestseller

This book is a wake-up call for us all

Overwhelmingly powerful

Few books this year are as important as activist Criado-Perez’s data crunch into the inequalities between men and women. She finds something to engage and enrage on every page

A fascinating look at the gender biases affecting our everyday lives

This book is comprehensive, well researched and thoroughly referenced with copious endnotes… [it] made me…shift my perspective

Thought-provoking, eye-opening

Not only a gripping but an important book… It’s funny when it’s not horrifying, deeply researched and done with real verve

Few books really change the way you look at the world. Invisible Women is one of those rarities

What makes Invisible Women so compelling is the mountain of data she draws on… a brilliant exposé

Every man should read this book… [Invisible Women] chats, in page after steely, meticulous page, precisely how the world…is designed around men, and how this puts women at an impossible disadvantage

Funny, exasperating and anger-inducing, there is something for everyone

The essential book of the year, mayhap the decade

A staggering expose of design prejudice and an impassioned call to action

Perez takes the truism that ours is a world designed for men and backs it with evidence. Impressively collating vast amounts of research

A must-read for men and women alike

This calm, dispassionate, hilarious, entertaining, maddening, infuriating narrative is a highly readable manifesto for real change

This well-researched book turns everything we accept as normal on its head…[Invisible Women] succeeds in making a powerful case for change in a non-preachy, educative style… It is not entertainment; it is a thesis – and a powerful one at that

This incredibly well-researched and engaging book highlights how the lack of gender-focused data results in the needs of more than half of the population being ignored. The numerous examples cited by Criado-Perez – ranging from infrastructure to healthcare – are shocking and sobering… Invisible Women offers valuable insight into the transformative power of diversity and equality to drive better economic outcomes

Such an insightful book and a good read for everyone

Incredibly topical and relevant in a rapidly changing world, Criado Perez’s multi-award-winning exposé on data bias has seen her become an authority on modern day inequalities

Invisible Women...is already a classic, but I can't recommend it enough

A powerful, insightful book

Compelling... revelatory... Criado Perez provides bountiful evidence of her thesis

A huge eye-opener

A witty, furious page-turner

Invisible Women is highly recommended to both men and women as an incredibly readable piece of journalism... Many of you will also find you cannot put down this passionate and informative book until you've finished it... illuminating and engaging